– The Wildlife Conservationists
Here, we meet Jiyu C. (’30) and Chaerin M. (’30) from Grade 6, who collaborated to create their own book, “The World’s Endangered Animals,” as part of their Agency project. With Jiyu acting as the author and Chaerin as the illustrator, the students worked with a printer to produce 100 book copies. Recently, the students sold their books to the community during the MS Arts Festival, with all proceeds donated to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia.
Here is their story:
Can you tell us more about yourself?
Jiyu: I was born in Seoul, Korea, in 2011, and I’m the only child in my family. I have been living in Malaysia for four years.
Chaerin: I was born in South Korea and lived in Seoul before I came to Malaysia. I have been living in Malaysia for about two years. I have one brother, who is now in Grade 4.
Which grade did you join ISKL? What were your first days of school like?
Jiyu: I joined ISKL in the second semester of Grade 2 in early February 2022. On the first day of school, I was both excited and nervous. Because I was so bad at English, I had a lot of worries. Furthermore, due to Covid, I had few chances to attend school in person except for video classes during the first two years after joining ISKL. However, thanks to my kind friends and teachers, I could fit in easily and comfortably.
Chaerin: I joined ISKL at the end of Grade 4. My first days of school were challenging because I didn’t know how to speak and understand English. My Korean friends had to help me to translate everything. But, the teacher and friends welcomed me and helped me fit into school.
Please tell me about the book you both created, “The World’s Endangered Animals.” How did this idea come about?
Jiyu: I have always loved animals, and the SDG project I did in Grade 5 inspired me to become interested in endangered animals. Chaerin was also interested in animals while doing the Agency project, so we chose to make a book about endangered animals.
Chaerin: We were thinking about what I could do with animals and art because our topic was art and animals. Then we thought about endangered animals. We decided to make a small book with my drawing and Jiyu’s writing.
Jiyu, you were the author for this project. Have you always had an interest in writing? What made you collaborate with Chaerin?
Jiyu: After coming to Malaysia, I spent many years on lessons and tuition to improve my English writing. The topic about endangered animals made me more passionate about writing. This time, I felt extra good that my writing could raise awareness among people, and I was also proud to see how much my writing skills had improved over the past few years in ISKL.
I still remember the day Chaerin came to my class – we met in ISKL about two years ago. I was so happy to see a new Korean girl in my class. Since then, Chaerin and I have become great friends who hang around with each other every day. While being her friend, I could see she was talented in drawing. So, when planning to make the book, Chaerin was my first pick for my partner.
Chaerin: We were friends for two years and were both interested in animals. Our talents made us capable of writing a book.
Chaerin, you were the illustrator for the book. How old were you when you started drawing? What kind of techniques did you use for the book?
I realized that I was good at drawing when I was four years old, and started taking classes when I was seven. It wasn’t a professional lesson but a small group lesson for young kids. After going to that class for five years, I quit that. Then, when I was 13, I went to a slightly more professional art class for one year and quit—I’m not taking any art classes at the moment.
As for the book, to make it look realistic, I used pencil for the outline, watercolor for the base color, and colored pencils for details.
How do you feel after completing this project? What did you learn?
Jiyu: This project gave me lots of great experiences. Researching animals taught me a lot of information about the environment and lives. Also, selling the book was an enjoyable thing to do. I met various people around the school while selling the book. Fortunately, many people seemed interested in my book. Lastly, going to Mr. Alex Lancia’s class was memorable – he was my first ISKL teacher in Grade 2. When I went to Mr. Lancia’s class, I explained my book to the students and sold some books to them. I felt so good that I could sell most of the 100 books we had printed and had many unique experiences in school.
Chaerin: I feel satisfied because it turned out well and got published. I also learned that endangered animals should be saved.
Do you participate in any co-curricular activities at ISKL? Please describe them.
Jiyu: In trimester 2, I was on the U13 basketball team and was team captain. Also, I participated in the Gauss Math Contest and got first place in Grade 6.
Chaerin: I participated in the U13 basketball team as an After School Activity in trimester 2. I like playing basketball – joining this team allowed me to play games against other teams for the first time, which was a good experience.
Can you tell us more about your other hobbies and interests?
Jiyu: Besides writing, I’m a sports lover. Since I was young, sports have always been my passion. I’m pretty interested in trying different sports. My favorite sport is basketball, and I spend most of my free time playing it with my friends. I also like swimming; it feels like it makes me healthier.
I listen to music every single day – I like many kinds of music such as K-pop, hip-hop, ballads, and more. Listening to music and singing is one of my favorite hobbies and often I do karaoke with many of my friends.
Chaerin: I have been learning to play guitar for the past two years, I’m a mber of the basketball team as well as, writing short stories in ES. I also enjoy, reading, drawing, and painting.
Most memorable moment at ISKL?
Jiyu: The U13 AIMS Basketball was the most fun and memorable experience at ISKL. In this tournament, I was able to lead my team to win first place as team captain. Happy laughs from my team members and the shining gold medals we received are valuable memories.
Chaerin: My most memorable moment at ISKL was the ES graduation ceremony. I never thought I would live in a foreign country, attend an international school, and graduate from an elementary school there. I guess it’s an amazing and precious memory for me.
What does “Know yourself, care for all, and create a better world” mean to you?
Jiyu: It means that when you can care for yourself physically and mentally, you can care for others and make the world better. This gives me the idea that I have to care and improve myself first to do many other things to make the world a better place.
Chaerin: I think I’m talented in art, and I can use this talent to show that I care for all those who need care in this way and can contribute to making this world a better place to live in.
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff who always have an anecdote to tell, love to share some insights into their passions and interest, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.
